Mistakes Unmade
by Silindro
Summary: Oneshot. Everyone makes mistakes. Carlisle gives Esme a helping hand after she has an accident while hunting in the forest. Carlisle x Esme


Note: Thanks for all the kind words on the other story. It made me wanna write this for you all.

Standard disclaimers apply.

**Mistakes Unmade** ---

The sounds of the hiker's screams would have been deafening to Esme's sensitive ears if she would have given the man time to cry out before silencing him forever.

It was a complete accident, of course. She had been so caught up in the thrill of the chase that she hadn't realized she'd stumbled on the injured man's camp. He had been in the middle of bandaging a badly cut hand when he had been snatched off of his stump and pulled into the undergrowth. From there she had descended onto his neck. Her teeth sank into the flesh, gliding into his jugular vein and spilling his blood into her waiting mouth.

By the time she had finished – only moments later – the rational side of her mind had come back and she'd realized what she'd done.

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was one that she couldn't remember having in the fifty-some-odd years that she had been a vampire. The horror she felt at her actions sent her flying away from the corpse and into the trees a short distance away.

She felt dizzy as his blood began to circulate through her body, bringing a light flush to her cheeks as it passed just under the skin. She could taste the lingering metallic flavor on her tongue, and for just a second she savored the forbidden indulgence of the ultimate sin. His murder brought her an immense amount of comfort that the forest animals just couldn't provide. They sustained her, but this feeling… the aftermath was intoxicating.

Minutes passed in silence.

"What have I done," she whispered to herself after a time. _What have I done?_

In the darkness she could still make out the body of the hiker. He was lying on his back, half concealed by the foliage. His feet stuck out with one shoe missing. The sight was just as shocking as she remembered her last victim's killing had been. Back when she had been a newborn and Carlisle had lost her during a hunt one evening. It was a memory that she had tried so hard to forget, yet here it was again, staring back at her through the leaves with lifeless blue eyes.

Her mind flew in thousands of different directions as she tried to make sense of the situation. What would she do? Of course she couldn't leave the body there… And then the man had a camp that would need to be dealt with. What if he had companions? How could she dispose of the mess?

"Are you all right?"

The voice startled her out of her thoughts. She stilled her breath and turned to face Carlisle.

"Carlisle I… he was just..."

Her eyes were wide as she searched for the words to explain things to her husband. But he knew what she was trying to say without saying anything at all. She wasn't a killer and he knew it.

"It was an accident," he finished. "We all make mistakes, Esme."

She gave a tiny nod in agreement with his words. She knew that everyone in their family had, at some point, done something just as vicious to the human population – whether intentional or not. The empathetic part of her couldn't help but feel ashamed at her actions.

"Come here," he beckoned, holding out his hand. She took it without question. He pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her body. It was obvious that she needed some comfort, and he was more than glad to give it to her.

She tucked her head under his chin and grabbed at his shirt as if he were the only thing holding her connected to life. She knew that if it were possible she would have been crying uncontrollably, soaking his shirt in salty tears like any human woman would in a similar situation. But she was incapable of crying anymore, and her shoulders only shook under the pressure of the emotion.

"Don't blame yourself for this," he murmured into her hair. "It could have happened to anyone."

"What will we do about it?"

"I'll take care of the body if you'll do away with his campsite. We need to make it look like he was never there."

"All right," she agreed.

As she headed back to the campsite se wondered how it was that she had managed to capture the affections and the care of someone so giving. Of course disposing of a dead body was nothing to brag about, but the fact that he was willing to help fix her mistakes spoke volumes. Her thoughts lingered on Carlisle as she smoothed over the ashes of the smoldering campfire.

---

"They're red, aren't they?"

Esme looked toward Carlisle, hoping that he would tell her she hadn't lost the golden hue of her eyes. It had been an hour since the kill, and the man's blood had taken enough time to do the proverbial 'damage' to her body. Although she felt physically well, her mind was still troubled by her actions.

"Mahogany," he answered. "Not quite red. I don't think you have anything to worry about. They're beautiful no matter what color they are."

"The others are going to know."

"The others have made mistakes too. They love you, Esme, and they won't think anything less of you for this."

"What do _you_ think?"

He put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close against his side. His lips sought out her skin, caressing her cheek in a much-needed gesture of affection. She let out a deep breath of relief that she had been holding for quite some time.

"I love you, you know," he whispered into her hair. "No matter what, that won't change."

"Thank you," she sighed.

For a long time they sat unmoving under the silver blanket of the moon's glow. Time passed quickly, the minutes dashing by in the blink of an eye. Neither one spoke, and there was nothing that needed to be said. They _knew_ the things that were worth saying. They felt them on a deep level, and understood without explanation.

When the sun began to rise and the dew began to soak into their clothing they both knew it was time to return home and face the fears that Esme still held, with or without Carlisle's encouraging words. She was slow to get up, procrastinating the action of standing by taking a leisurely human pace. Carlisle's hands pulled gently at hers, tugging her up a bit more quickly than she really wanted.

"Come on, you know we have to go back," he pushed. "We can't stay out here all day."

"Well I'd hoped…"

"The kids would come looking for you."

"I know," she grinned. "Can't I just pretend to be someone else today?"

"Well maybe if it weren't so sunny outside," he decided. "But you'd stand out in a crowd either way. You're much too pretty. You'd attract too much attention."

Her smile was bright at the compliment, just as it usually was when Carlisle flattered her. She knew he was trying to lighten the mood, and on some level it was working. She knew things would be all right. Her mistakes wouldn't haunt her.

---

Note: Hurrah, another iffyish ending! At least I didn't skip the final word in this one… Hope you enjoyed. Reviews get more stories. It only takes a second!

Also, story not proofread. Ignore mistakes plz

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